His Kid
by Inume-blue
Summary: "No don't title this story 'His Kid' She's not mine! I'm Hatake Kakashi I don't baby sit." Kakashi gets stuck babysiting Asuma's kid, on his day off no less! will one little girl be the down fall of the Great Copy Nin?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Warning: there is a semi spoiler; kinda sorta well I'm just being cautious. You know what this is just a fan fic so If you notice something you probably already know it so it's not a spoiler. Right? Okay maybe not.**

* * *

Kakashi walked down the street with his nose in a familiar orange book. It was a nice day. It was a Friday. It was Kakashi's first day of his three day vacation and he planned on spending it wisely. Okay not wisely, he wasn't in to mood to run errands or clean the apartment. He wanted to find somewhere quiet to read his book until Sakura got off work _then_ the two of them would spend the time _wisely_.

"Kakashi!"

Said jonin looked up as Kurenai came running up to him with her three year old daughter in tow. The woman looked disheveled. Her daughter was balanced on one hip while a big pink bag was slung over her opposite shoulder.

"Kakashi do you have a mission today?" she asked a bit breathlessly.

"No but…"

"Oh good I need you to take Rumi for me. Don't worry Shikamaru should be home from his mission tonight and he will take her. She has a change of clothes and pajamas. I also packed her some snacks. Her bed time is at 8:30. Oh and if she needs to go to the bathroom make sure she gets there. I'm potty training her. She is wearing pull ups just in case but don't you dare stick her in a diaper." Kurenai continued hoisting the giant pink bag onto Kakashi's shoulder and passed him her daughter.

The single mom bent to kiss her daughter good bye.

"Okay be good for Kakashi, uncle Shikamaru should be home soon. Love you, bye sweetie." She said and turned to run toward the gates.

Kakashi managed to pick his jaw up off the ground fast enough to call out to her.

"Kurenai! Wait a sec! Why me? I don't know a thing about kids!" he yelled distraught.

"Sorry Kakashi everyone else is on a mission now. You will be fine, it's just till tonight. I have faith in you. Thank you so much!" she called back and then she was gone.

"Damn it. How do I get roped into these things?" he asked aloud leaning back when Rumi made a grab for his mask.

"Damn it!" Rumi yelled out coping him with a giggle.

People in the street turned at her loud exclamation. A man walking by shook his head sadly at him. Two women by a fruit stand muttered under their breaths and shot him dark looks.

"I must have horrible timing." He told Rumi ignoring the women.

"HORR!" she yelled, naive to the way the begging of horrible sounded to the people still watching them.

"Okay if you're going to copy me, at least finish the word. It's horrible, not _Horr_. Say it with me_ horrible_." Kakashi instructed the toddler.

"HORR!" she yelled again while pointing at two women by the fruit stand.

The two now very angry women opened their mouths to lecture Kakashi on his bad parenting skills and using profane language around a little girl. Or they would have if the Copy Ninja hadn't already disappeared in a shower of leaves.

* * *

Sakura walked into café they had agreed to meet at for lunch today. The twenty year old moved towards their usual booth near the back. As the medic nin got closer she realized her spot was already taken by a raven haired girl coloring on the back of a kids menu. She smiled as she took in the crayons scattered across the table and a very distressed Kakashi sitting there with his head in his hands.

"Is this seat taken?" Sakura asked Rumi pointing to the spot next to her.

The little girl looked up at her with dark obsidian eyes. She trembled a bit and inched closer to the wall away from Sakura.

"Don't worry Rumi, I'm not here to take your temperature or give you a shot. I just came to eat with you guys. Is that okay?" Sakura asked sliding into the seat.

Rumi nodded "is okay Sa-u-ra San." She answered the way her mother taught her.

She was still a bit weary of the medic nin who had on more than one occasion given her a shot.

"Oh you know what? I have something for you." Sakura announced reaching into the pocket of her white coat.

She pulled out a cherry red lollipop and held it out to Rumi who grabbed it quickly. Immediately the little girl was showing Sakura the pictures she had drawn and telling the stories that went along with them. Kakashi could only hear a few actual words in the girls rambling and could hardly keep up with what she was saying but Sakura oohed and awed at the right moments. Finally when the waitress took their orders before leaving to get their drinks Rumi when right back to coloring and ignored the two adults at the table.

"How do you do that?" Kakashi asked Sakura

"Do what?"

"Whatever it was you just did. She actually likes you but she hates me. She even goes out of her way to embarrass me in public."

"Wow she embarrassed you? That's quite a feat. Well if you weren't such a big scary masked man maybe she'd be more receptive to you."

Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"But what I wanna know is how Kurenai got you of all people to baby sit."

"She ambushed me in the middle of the street, dumped Rumi on me, and vanished before I had a chance to say anything."

"Your skills are getting rusty old man. You need to work on surveillance and evasive maneuvers. And you use to be so good at those too." Sakura said with mock sympathy.

Kakashi sighed "I know I know. It's rather tragic but at least it's only till tonight when Shikamaru gets back from his mission then I'm a free man."

Sakura looked at him surprised for a moment before quickly looking away biting her lip.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Sakura…tell me."

"Shikamaru's missiongotextened." She mumbled

"What was that?"

She sighed, he was going to find out sooner or later. "Shikamaru's mission got extended till further notice. It's going to be a few days till he gets back. I don't know all the details, I just over heard Shizune talking to Tsunade. So I guess Rumi is stuck with us for a bit." She explained stirring her drink with a straw.

"Ah Hell." Kakashi said letting his head bang onto the table.

"AH HELL!" Rumi yelled throwing a fist full of crayons at the people sitting one table over.

An hour later Kakashi and Rumi watched as Sakura wave goodbye before heading back to the hospital. Kakashi took Rumi's hand and led her down the street. It was a wonder she didn't starve as most of her food ended up on her or the floor. Needless to say the waitress and busboy were displeased at the mess but probably glad that they were gone at the same time. Kakashi left a slightly bigger tip than usual.

Kakashi looked down when he felt a tugging on his hand. Rumi was fidgeting like crazy.

"What? Is that a dance you made up or something?"

Rumi shook her head, whimpered, and fidgeted some more.

"You okay kid?" Kakashi asked getting worried.

"Potty." Was all she said. Kakashi sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was 8:47 when Sakura got home. She stifled a laugh at the sight she was greeted with when she opened the door. Their living room looked like a mini tornado had hit. Dress up clothes and dolls littered the floor and every open surface was covered with a drawing of some kind held in place by a lot of scotch tape. Kakashi was slumped on the floor leaning against the couch. He wore a plain t shirt with dark pants. His mask and headband were missing and he was clearly asleep. Rumi was sprawled in his lap, crayons clenched in her right hand, and a coloring page in the other. Over her clothes was a frilly pink and purple tutu. A glittery plastic tiara was slipping off her head at an angle.

Sakura carefully moved through the mess taking care not to crush the spilt cheerios into the carpet. She opened the hall closet and pulled out clean sheets and her bed roll she used on missions. She made up a bed for Rumi and found her pajamas that had been pulled out of the pink bag and lost in the mess on the floor. Sakura scooped Rumi up and got her into in a fresh pull up and her pajamas without waking the slumbering toddler. The rosette haired woman was unaware that she was being watched.

Kakashi found himself in awe of Sakura's abilities to slip from fearsome Kunoichi to a motherly role seamlessly. And as she tucked Rumi in, and brushed the little girl's hair away from her face, a part of him wished that Sakura was tucking in their own children instead. The hair she would tuck back would be pink or silver. It was a rather small part of him, not even that noticeable, that thought that, but the fact that it was there scared Kakashi out of his daze. He shook his head and moved to get up. Sakura smiled at him as he dusted glitter off his pants.

"Nice toes." She gestured to his feet were Rumi had haphazardly painted his toenails in bright reds and purples.

"I think they bring out the color in my eyes." Kakashi said with a shrug.

Sakura had to work hard not to laugh too loud least she wake up Rumi. She could imagine it now; Kakashi showing up in his to training, his brightly painted toenails peeking out of his standard ninja sandals. Naruto and Sai would never let him live it down. She was sure even Yamato would have a good laugh.

"Please tell me you have something to take it off." He continued seriously

She shook her head. "Nope, but I can buy some tomorrow."

"I suppose I'll have to wear my boots to training."

"Yea that might be a good idea." She said smiling.

* * *

**A/N: More coming, hopefully soon. Thanks for reading, leave a review before you go. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**A/N: It has come to my attention that Kakashi and Sakura's relationship status is rather vague. I'm sorry about that. I should have addressed it in the first chapter and I apologize. Sakura is 20 years old. Kakashi is 34 years old. They are together; in fact I just now decided that they are married. So here we go, on with the story. Oh wait I just realized that you probably think I'm making this up as I go…only a few parts of it, the rest is planed I promise. **

* * *

His alarm would go off at 5:30 every morning. He never hit snooze so he was always at the memorial stone at 6:00. Once there he would zone out in front of it till around 7. After that he would run a few laps around the village before going home to eat breakfast. Around 8:45 he could be found strolling onto the training grounds with some made up excuse about helping a woman, who was assaulted by black cats, cross the street. However today at 5:20 Kakashi, who liked sleep as much as the next person, was woken up by Rumi's high pitched voice. She yelled his nickname she had given him as his full name gave her trouble.

"Kashi!"

Kakashi groaned and Sakura mumbled something about it being too early before pulling the quilt over her head.

"Kashi wake up! UP! UP!" Rumi wined; now right next to his side of the bed.

"She's just going to keep at it." Sakura warned from under the blankets.

"UP!"

"Alright I'm up. I'm up." Kakashi reached over and turned his alarm off.

He let himself morn those blissful ten minutes he missed for a moment before he pulled himself out of bed. His back and neck popped as he stretched and yawned. Rumi got impatient fast and grabbed hold of the edge of his shirt and proceeded to lead him out the room.

Rumi decided that she wanted Fruit Ninja Os, but Kakashi and Sakura only had Wheaties. 'Breakfast of Champions' he told her, but Rumi didn't like Wheaties. She only ate white bread, hold the crust, so that ruled out the toast she wanted next. They only ate wheat or rye. Then it was on to pancakes, but Kakashi and Sakura didn't have syrup. So then she wanted her Cheerios, the ones that were currently scattered a few feet away on the open living room floor. Kakashi wondered for a moment if he should just scoop them up into a bowl. What would a bit of dirt hurt?

"Don't even think about it." His wife's voice came from behind him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged

"You are not scooping up the Cheerios off the floor and feeding them to her." Sakura warned.

Kakashi deadpanned "It's rather scary how you knew that."

"I'm a ninja. I know everything." She smirked striding over to the island that separated the kitchen from the living room.

It seemed she did know everything. Or rather she knew how to get Rumi to eat the scrambled eggs and apple slices. She also knew what to say to get the little girl to cooperate and changed into her clean clothes. It was also a relief that Sakura knew how to do little girls hair. Then her pager went off.

"That's the hospital. I've got to go in for a few hours. Tell the boys I'm sorry I won't make it to training." Sakura said standing.

Kakashi stood as well and pulled her into him. His lips found hers for a few moments before he pulled back.

"Want us to bring you something for lunch?" he brushed some pink locks behind her ear.

Sakura shook her head. Pink strands fell back in her face and she swept them back. "No, I think I will be home before then, if not I can always grab something from the cafeteria."

He nodded and watched her slip out the sliding glass doors and onto the balcony. After closing them behind her she waved and disappeared in a whirl of cherry blossoms.

* * *

Kakashi held Rumi's hand as they walked to the memorial stone. He was lost in thought as it came into view and the next thing he knew, Rumi had slipped out of his hand and took off towards it.

"Daddy!" She yelled excitedly

Kakashi stood stunned for a moment and he looked around to see who Rumi called out to. They were the only ones around this morning. Then his unspoken question was answered as she flopped down on the grass next to the stone. Rumi became just as chatty with the cenotaph as she had with Sakura the other day. She held up the pictures she'd drawn towards Asuma's name carved in the black monument and told about her day. Kakashi felt his throat tighten at the sight but Rumi's bubbly attitude was contagious and he soon found himself smiling at her enthusiasm while she talked to the father she had never met.

* * *

"Whoa that sucks ya know and on your off day too." Naruto shook his head sadly looking at Rumi coloring a bit away on the grass.

"It's not so bad, besides it can't be helped." The Copy Nin replied.

Sai and Yamato were called away on a mission so Kakashi and Naruto were the only ones training, if you could call it that. Honestly Kakashi wasn't sure why Naurto bothered training with them at all. They didn't even pose a challenge to him anymore; well no one did now days. Kakashi figured it was just a way for the young man to spend time with them before he took on the role of the Hokage and gave up social life. Tsunade said she still had a lot to teach him before she'd handed the title over, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

"Hinata has been talking about kids lately." The blond man said it casually but Kakashi could tell that Naruto was actually quite nervous about the prospect.

"You two will be great parents." The older shinobi reassured him.

"I don't know anything about being a dad." Naruto admitted looking down at his feet.

"You know your dad said that same thing to me before you were born." Kakashi remembered with a slight smile.

Naruto brightened instantly "Really? He seemed like he would have been a great dad, when I met him. I know I didn't get to spend a lot of father son time with him, but I'm proud he was my father."

Kakashi nodded. "You should be. He loved you. He loved this village and everyone in it like his own children. He entrusted you with them. You have surpassed him now. I know you'll be a great dad and Hokage."

Naruto smiled and blushed a bit at the rare complement. "Yeah but it takes a village to raise a child." He pointed out.

Kakashi looked at the blond man, who as a boy had no family to speak of, and then to Rumi who was now playing her own game she had dubbed _**Kunoichi saves the day**_ with one of her dolls.

"Yes sometimes it does." The copy nin agreed.

* * *

After training Rumi decided that she wanted to go to the park. As they walked away from the third training ground, a flurry of cherry blossoms dropped Sakura right in front of them.

"I missed all of training didn't I?" she pouted a bit put out.

"Yeah, Naruto waited a bit but he had a meeting with Tsunade he had to get to. He said to tell you same time Tuesday." Kakashi relayed. Sakura sighed, that was the third time this week she'd missed training.

"Where are you off to?" She asked looking down at Rumi with a smile.

"The park! Come wif us Sakra." the raven haired girl answered brightly.

She grabbed Sakura's hand and led her down the road a bit before she decided that Kakashi needed to be holding her other hand. The Hatakes soon found themselves swinging Rumi by her hands between them. The three year old laughed in delight loving her makeshift swing. As they approached the park they saw a boy walking his dog around its perimeter.

Rumi's attention was quickly diverted and she ran to him. The boy let her pet his colie. Sakura and Kakashi walked up just in time to hear Rumi complain about the dog not listening to her. The boy smiled at her before he and his dog continued on their way.

"Aki always listen to me. Uncle Kiba and Aki always plays with me" She said with a frown.

Kakashi and Sakura looked at each in understanding. Sakura knelt next to Rumi who seemed genuinely put out about the dog.

"Rumi, Akamaru is a ninja dog. He is a lot smarter than other dogs so he can understand you." She explained.

"But you know, your Uncle Kiba isn't the only one who works with Ninja dogs." Kakashi added.

He had already bit his thumb. Kakashi's hands flew though the signs before he slammed it down into the ground. A plume of smoke covered the area and as it cleared it revealed all eight of Kakashi's ninken. Pakkun, Bull, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Ūhei, and Guruko stood at attention.

"You summoned us?" Pakkun spoke from atop of Bull's head.

"Yes I need you all to play with Rumi." The copy nin said pointing to the wide eyed girl next to him.

"You summoned us to babysit?" Bisuke asked

"We are Ninken we don't babysit little girls." Urushi announced.

"Yeah we're more suited for tracking and tearing out guys throats." Akino added.

Uhei, and Guruko nodded in agreement and a chorus of "yeah" s went up from the group as the dogs began to yip and complain. Kakashi took a steep forward already fed up with his ninken who were normally so obedient. Bull barked suddenly. The deep sound sent chills running down everyone's backs. The pack went silent and Sakura stepped back pulling Rumi with her.

"Bull is right. We are Kakashi's summons and we must follow his orders." Pakkun said hopping off Bull's head.

Bull walked up to Rumi and licked her face. The little girl giggled and scratched under his chin. Immediately the others joined in and they ran around the large grassy field. They were soon playing tag and while the eight ninken were known to be some of the fastest, Rumi was always able to catch them. Kakashi figured it was due to the fact that whoever she caught was given a scratch behind the ears or a quick belly rub.

They finally stopped for lunch and after the pack began to doze under the shade of a giant maple. Rumi still full of energy ran over to the playground. Sakura and Kakashi sat on a wooden bench overlooking the playground to watch her.

"How was she this morning?" Sakura asked as Rumi slid down the slide with a few other kids.

"She was good." He answered then continued to tell her about his conversation with Naruto. Sakura smiled at him as he finished.

"That's great. I'm so happy for them. They are going to be great parents." She said sincerely

Kakashi looked at her catching a gleam in her eyes; it was wistful in appearance as she watched the children play ninja before she turned away.

Even though Rumi had only been with them for a little over a day, Kakashi found himself toying with the idea of asking Sakura what she thought about them having their own kids. Just as he was about to open his mouth Sakura stood suddenly.

"Rumi?" She called worriedly. Children ran around the playground but none of them turned at the sound of the name.

"Rumi!" She yelled again getting desperate. The little raven haired girl was nowhere in sight. Kakashi whistled for his dogs but they were already up at the sound of Sakura's frantic voice.

"RUMI!" He yelled but even Kakashi's deep baritone was met with silence.

The two jonins ran alongside the dogs, who had picked up her scent. They barked and suddenly turned to the right running past the trees that bordered the park. However they halted for a moment at the chain link fence that kept the children safe from a drop off a little ways ahead. Kakashi felt as if his heart had just fallen off that ledge as he noticed the hole in the fence just big enough for a three year old girl to crawl though.

Kakashi cursed, launching himself over the tall fence. Sakura and the boys followed right on his heels. A shrill scream ahead nearly stopped his heart again but now Kakashi was moving so fast he blurred. Right in front of them was the drop off. Rumi was hanging on by a root that jutted out from the earth over the edge. Below her, a good seven stories down, were jagged rocks and a river. As with most little girls Rumi didn't have any upper body strength to speak of and she lost her grip on the last thing keeping her from falling to her death. Gravity did the rest.

Sakura screamed along with Rumi and she reached out but her husband was faster than her. Kakashi launched himself at Rumi and felt weightless for a moment before gravity was pulling him too. His arms wrapped around her and he tucked her under his chin protectively against his chest. Kakashi's shoulder slammed into the side of the cliff on the way down, but he didn't loosen his hold on Rumi. He managed to right himself in the air. The rocks jarred his knees as he landed but he let his chakra infused feet run across the water a bit as he lost momentum.

Rumi clung to his shirt, her streaming tears soaked it through but he just held her tighter. Kakashi's breath was ragged and his heart pounded relentlessly against his rib cage. He breathed in then let it out slowly as he calmed himself. Rumi was okay. He had been more afraid for her that he ever had for his own life. Kakashi found himself whispering reassuring words of comfort to the little girl as he walked atop the water to the riverbank.

Sakura and the dogs stood at the edge. They had hurried down the side using chakra to stick to the cliff face. Kakashi looked at his wife's tear stained face as she put her arms around the two of them in a hug. Rumi reluctantly let Sakura pull her away from Kakashi as the medic examined them.

"Are you hurt anywhere sweetheart?" The pink haired woman asked.

Sakura had knelt down eye level with Rumi and ran green chakra hands over the little girl checking for injuries. Rumi shook her head in the negative and sniffled while wiping her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her shirt.

"What happened? Why did you leave the playground by yourself?" Sakura asked brushing dark hair away from Rumi's onyx eyes.

Rumi shrugged looking down but still answered. "I follow butterfly." She said quietly.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair as he pictured the scene. Rumi chasing a lone butterfly, trying to catch it in her grubby little hands as it slipped through the chain link fence getting closer and closer to the dangerous edge. However butterflies have wings and little girls don't. Sakura pulled her into a tight hug.

"Please don't ever go off by yourself again. You scared us half to death." Her voice was strained.

"I won't" Rumi said.

Kakashi sighed and reached down to help them up.

"Let's go home." He suggested. Both Rumi and Sakura thought that was a great idea.

* * *

Rumi fell asleep riding on top of Bull on the way home. The ninken had glued themselves to Rumi's side the whole way and were reluctant to leave, but Kakashi promised he would summon them all again the next day if Rumi was still there. However that didn't stop them from leaving until they made sure she was safely inside the Hatake residence.

Kakashi and Sakura began making dinner together at the kitchenette quietly while Rumi napped on the couch a few feet away.

"I was thinking that since we both have tomorrow off we should go buy Rumi a new outfit and maybe catch a show." Sakura suggested while she sliced carrots.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow while he stirred the broth on the stove.

"Why don't we just wash the ones she has? Or go to her house and grab one from her closet?" he asked.

Sakura tisked at him, "We can't just go brake into Kurenai's house." she said ignoring his first question.

"Sure we can. We are ninja, locks don't work on us. Besides it's not like Kurenai would care. We'd just be getting her kid some more clothes." He reasoned.

"Well I think after today she deserves to get a new outfit and see a movie." She huffed

"I think you just like the idea of buying her stuff. Honestly Sakura we shouldn't spoil her."

"Why not?"

Kakashi sighed he hatted shopping. "You're not going to let this drop till you get your way are you?"

"Nope." Sakura said with a smile knowing she'd already won.

"Fine then we'll go see a movie and take her to get an outfit but she only needs one."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to my nephew Chris for looking over this for me. And thanks to all of you for taking the time to read. Please drop a review before you go. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any and all products/shows/characters/etc. that may or may not make an appearance in this entire fan fic. I own none of it and make no profit from it. **

Kakashi grunted as he shifted the bags and boxes around in his arms to get a better grip on them. It wasn't that they were heavy or anything, just awkward. It was even more bothersome trying to see around them. He could no longer see his feet and Kakashi prayed he didn't run in to a pole or anything. It was rather embarrassing when a ninja of his caliber stumbled around Konoha like a pack mule. It was bad enough Genma caught him coming out of **Pretty Pretty Pony's Butterfly Adventure**at the movie theater earlier that day. His reputation was getting thoroughly shot to hell.

"Sakura I though we agreed she only needed _one outfit_!" he grunted

Sakura turned with Rumi in her arms away from the store window and looked back at the walking pile of bags and boxes that had addressed her.

"I only got her the stuff she _needed_ Kakashi." His wife stressed.

"What does she need _**Barbie's Dream Resort Cruise Liner**_ for then?"

Sakura huffed not bothering to answer him as she muttered something that sounded like '_Men' _under her breath before continuing down the street. Kakashi sighed and tried to keep her pink hair insight.

* * *

After dropping the merchandise off at the apartment they made their way toward the park. After a few choice words from Kakashi the fence had been repaired the previous evening. However the two jonins stuck close to the three year old's side, as did the ninken who had been eagerly awaiting their play date with Rumi. They would fervently deny it of course.

Kakashi looked around the grassy area they played in. He noticed that while they had a lot of room, all of them including Sakura and himself had strategically placed themselves in a protective circle around Rumi. In fact as he thought about it Kakashi realized that they had been doing that all day long. Rumi sat between them during the movie. Sakura carried her around to each store, only putting her down to help her try on outfits. Rumi's feet had hardly touched the ground till they got to the park. And now the dogs took turns maintaining the circle and playing with the three year old. It seemed Sakura had noticed too.

"We've become the dreaded overprotective parents haven't we?" she asked him with a wry smile.

"We have." He agreed

"I suppose we had better work on it, I mean it's not like we can protect her from everything." She reasoned

Kakashi looked towards the raven haired girl and sighed. "It's not going to stop us from trying though."

Sakura's reply was cut off when Rumi began to cry. They were next to her in a blink of an eye. Pushing through the concerned ninken, Sakura bent and examined Rumi's knee. It was scraped but hardly bleeding.

"Told you so." Kakashi said next to her as she cleaned the scrape off.

In a small flutter of green chakra the skin was smooth and pink. Rumi looked up at them and smiled before taking off back to the game.

* * *

That evening Rumi was spread out on the floor engrossed in a cartoon about a yellow sponge that lived in some fruit house under the sea. She was in one of those moods ware she refused to take a nap when they had gotten home that afternoon. He had thought that she would have been exhausted from the park. Kakashi was sorely mistaken. Rumi had decided that he had to play tea time with her and the new plastic tea set they'd bought her earlier. She then pitched a fit at dinner and cried for her mom a lot before Sakura caught her attention with the TV. Kakashi was grateful for the peace and quiet was finally able to settle down in his favorite chair with Icha Icha and read to his heart's content.

"Kakashi can you come help me with this for a minute?" his wife's voice came from the laundry room.

Or not.

"Sure I'll be right there." He stood marking his place before tossing Icha Icha onto the cushion.

He glanced at Rumi who was still staring at the sponge, who was now flipping burgers or something. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head as he contemplated how much work it took to entertain a little girl. He felt bad for Kurenai. At least he had Sakura to help take care of Rumi. It was true that she had all of team 10 and team 8 but it was still hard, especially when they were all on missions or starting families of their own. He didn't know what he'd do if something happened to Sakura and they had kids. But he tossed that thought away. They didn't have kids but if they did Sakura would probably end up being the single parent left to raise them.

Kakashi shook his head. What had gotten into him? All the thoughts about kids lately were making him melancholy. Why did it even matter? He decided long ago that kids weren't for him. What with his and Sakura being shinobi and their hectic schedules, they just didn't have time for a family. Plus kids were annoying, messy, and expensive. No. Kids weren't for him and he wasn't for them. He knew that. However if that was true why did he suddenly feel hollow at the thought of Rumi going home soon, because she would and where would that leave them? Maybe they could offer to take her more often. Kurenai could have a break and they could spend time with Rumi…hold on a sec. What was he thinking? He couldn't wait till Rumi's mom came and got her right? Right?

Kakashi began to help Sakura put away the clean clothes and sort the dirty ones. At least doing laundry helped him put his mind back on track, and think about how having to babysit Rumi ruined his three day vacation. Yup he and Sakura had been planning on going out to a fancy restaurant Friday night. That didn't happen because that place had a _no children allowed_ policy. Yesterday they hadn't been able to go to the show they wanted to because of its adult rating. Instead of going rock climbing outside of Konoha today the couple had spent it and their money on Rumi. And the part of the vacation ware Kakashi had planned to spend every evening with his wife doing very adult things to her didn't happen. They were too tired after chasing a three year old around all day. And he was just not okay with doing anything like_ that_ when his old friend's kid was sleeping one room away.

"I'm sorry this weekend didn't go as planned." Sakura said as if reading his thoughts.

Kakashi was just about to respond when he lifted up a sock out of the pile of clothes he was sorting. It was a small purple sock with white daises on it. His voice caught in his throat and he stared at the article of clothing as if it had all the answers in the world. He laid it to the side and began a search for its mate in the pile before responding to Sakura's comment truthfully.

"Yeah it didn't go as planned but that's okay. We've had fun anyway."

Surprised Sakura stopped mid fold of a towel and smiled at her husband.

"We have." She agreed quietly.

With the laundry folded and put away they made their way to the living room. Sakura walked ahead of him and Kakashi nearly ran into her when she suddenly stopped.

"RUMI! No what are you doing?"

Kakashi looked around his wife and saw what she was so upset about. Sitting there on the floor was Rumi her crayons were in her fist and she had been coloring in…Icha Icha Paradise. She thought the book with no pictures was too plain. She obviously didn't appreciate the fine details Jiraiya had woven into the story so that you didn't need pictures to enjoy it.

"Rumi I don't understand. We bought you those coloring books for a reason. Why on earth did you need to color in that book? That was not a nice thing to do." Sakura scolded.

Rumi's bottom lip trembled and she dropped the crayons she had been holding.

"I sorry." Rumi said as the tears welded up in her eyes

"Rumi…"

"Sakura stop its okay it's just a book."

Sakura turned to stare at Kakashi like he'd just grown an extra head, announced he was gay, dyed his hair blue and ran off into the sunset and leave her for Gai. Just a book? Just a book? Sakura could remember when Naruto had accidentally got one tinny tiny miniscule drop of ramen noodle broth on the cover. The man had sicked his freaking ninken on the little genin at the time.

Kakashi stepped around Sakura mindful of her jaw on the floor and moved to inspect the new artwork Junko and her brown haired lover had acquired on page thirty eight. He sat down next to Rumi and held his hand out for the orange book.

"May I?"

Rumi nodded and handed it over. She sniffled a bit but remained quiet as he flipped a few of the pages.

"You know Rumi while I do like these pictures, not all books are for coloring in. Do you think that next time you can ask first?"

Rumi nodded eyes glued to the floor. Kakashi looked down at a brown and blue spot on the current page.

"Tell me Rumi is this Pakkun?"

The little girl brightened instantly and soon Kakashi was reliving their entire day chapter by chapter. For the first time since he purchased it, Icha Icha had something new to offer with each turn of a page.

* * *

**A/N: drop a review before you go ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own any product/character/song/book/movie/etc. that may appear in this fan fiction story. **

* * *

"Isn't there a D- rank mission I could do here in the village instead? Maybe a cat stuck in a tree, needing rescuing perhaps?"

All three of them looked at the Copy Ninja unsure if they heard him correctly. Tsunade looked at Shizunne but the dark haired woman was just as confused as she was. Iruka was the first to recover. Setting aside the A-rank mission scroll, he dug through another pile normally reserved for Genin.

"I have a mission to find a missing dog named Mr. Pumpernickels. He was last seen…"

"Great I'll take it." Kakashi had the scroll and was shutting the door behind him before Iruka could finish his sentence.

Tsunade finally came out of her shock. "Did Hatake Kakashi just swap an A for a D-rank? What the hell has gotten into that boy?"

* * *

Kakashi walked down the hallway to a waiting area where Rumi sat waiting for him with Pakkun. Kotetsu and Izumo had abandoned their desks and paperwork in favor of telling her stories of amazing battles they had been in and faraway places they'd been. Rumi laughed as they reenacted some of their feats with dramatic poises and silly voices.

"Hey squirt let's get going." Kakashi called as made his way to them.

Rumi, Kotetsu, and Izumo groaned sadly. Pakkun sighed in relief, Izumo and Kotetsu could charm a three year old but they were annoying him to no end.

"Well Hatake you had better keep an eye on this one." Izumo warned

"Yeah she is going to be a knock out when she's older. You will have to beat off boys for Asuma." Kotetsu added with mock thoughtfulness.

"Yeah thanks guys you two are sooo much help." Kakashi replied rolling his visible eye.

"Hey we know potential when we see it." Kotetsu said

"Or did you forget when we warned you about Sakura?" Izumo asked with a sly grin

Kakashi was already pulling Rumi down the hall with one hand. His other hand tossed them a rude gesture over his shoulder. The duo laughed before heading back to their paperwork.

* * *

To say Rumi was excited about going on a mission with Kakashi was an understatement, especially when she found out the mission was to find a missing puppy. The little girl had squealed in glee. Her high pitched cry of delight caused people on the street to cover their ears and got the neighborhood dogs in an uproar. It had made their mission easier though when Mr. Pumpernickels when running for home with a wine. Kakashi caught up to the giant Rottweiler easily and returned him to his owner. The large beefy woman had taken to Rumi instantly before shyly asking Kakashi if he was a single dad and if he needed someone to take care of him. He announced politely that he was happily married before grabbing Rumi and making a quick retreat.

* * *

Sakura laughed out loud. They had met up at Ichiraku for lunch and Kakashi had just finished telling her about their interesting morning.

"It's not that funny." He grumbled as Sakura shook with more laughter.

"Oh honey please don't tell me you brought me out here just to tell me you are leaving me for that woman. Do I not please you anymore?" she asked with mirth in her eyes.

Sakura couldn't keep a straight face with the look he gave her and promptly burst into another fit of giggles.

"ha ha ha you are so funny." He said in a perfect monotone voice.

"Okay I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it; you should have seen your face."

"Hn. So have you heard anything from Kurenai or team tent? Eight? Kakashi asked

It was Wednesday. Kurenai had left Rumi with them last Friday at the beginning of Kakashi's three day vacation with a promise that Shikamaru and team ten would be back that evening. Neither Kurenai nor team Asuma had made an appearance yet. Now in the middle of a new week, the Hatake couple was scrambling to rearrange their schedules so that one of them could always stay with Rumi. Sakura had swapped for some unwanted shifts at the hospital and Kakashi had forgone training, and switched his high paying A-rank missions for D-ranks and guard duty.

"Nothing yet on ten or Kurenai. Eight made it home this morning but Hinata left again for some important Hyuga clan business. So that leaves Kiba or Shino." Sakura stated

"No."

"You're right Kiba is a bachelor, he wouldn't know a thing about taking care of a little girl. What about Shino?"

"No."

"Bugs aside, Shino is a nice guy. Quiet and weird but nice." Sakura said defending the bug user.

Her husband raised a silver eyebrow.

"Well then we are out of options. Let's just keep her with us." Sakura huffed.

"Okay."

Sakura studied Kakashi for a moment. He had agreed to keep Rumi with them rather quickly. It was almost as if… Sakura smiled knowingly. He was pretending to be indifferent to it but Sakura was positive he was secretly happy they would have Rumi a while longer.

* * *

The rest of the week passed filled with play dates in the park with the ninken, coloring, playing dress up, coloring, tea time, and more coloring. Friday evening found the Sakura, Kakashi, and Rumi sitting down for dinner. Rumi had insisted on mac and cheese so that was what they had. There was a knock at the door. Kakashi got up to answer it. Kurenai Yuhi stood at the door.

"I just got in. Tsunade said you've had Rumi all week! I'm so sorry…I thought" the Kunoichi was cut off from a shriek across the room.

"MOMMY!" Rumi bolted from her chair and flung herself at her mother.

Kakashi stepped aside to let Kurenai in. Rumi hung on the woman chatting to her excitedly.

"Okay Okay honey, settle down. I need to talk to Kakashi and Sakura."

"Kay." Rumi nodded and went back to her dinner but kept looking at Kurenai as if she'd disappear if she looked away too long.

"I am sorry Kakashi, Sakura. I had no idea Shikamaru's mission got extended. I should have had a backup in place. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you." Kurenai said.

Kakashi shook his head. "It's been no trouble at all Kurenai."

"Yes, we were happy to do it. And you can always ask us to take her whenever you need." Sakura added and her husband nodded in agreement.

"That's kind of you; I know she can be a bit of a handful."

"She was fun. We very much enjoyed her company." Sakura said sincerely.

Kurenai nodded pulling a healthy sum of money out her wallet to hand it to them Kakashi stopped her.

"Put it away Kurenai." He warned

"Kakashi, I know how expensive little girls are. Please take the money, I'd feel bad if you didn't"

"We'd feel bad if we did. We're your friends Kurenai, that's what friends are for. Besides we told you it was no trouble." Sakura interjected.

Kurenai relented "fine but when you have kids of your own; I get them for a week."

"Deal." Kakashi said not bothering to correct her statement from 'when' to 'if'.

Rumi walked up to them at that moment and Kurenai bent down to scoope the girl up.

"Well Rumi, are you ready to go? Say good bye to Sakura and Kakashi."

Rumi suddenly realized what was going on. Tears welt up in her eyes and she shook her head.

"NO! wanna stay!" She cried.

"Rumi don't you want to come home with me? You can visit them later."

"NO! KASHI!" Rumi cried reaching out for the Copy Nin.

Kakashi took her from Kurenai and held her for a minute. "Shh it's okay Kiddo. Your mom has been gone a while and she missed you. It's okay; maybe you can visit us Sunday. I'll get the boys together and we can go to the park. How does that sound?"

Rumi hiccupped but nodded against his shoulder. Kakashi handed her back to a surprised Kurenai who exchanged looks with Sakura.

"What?" he asked

"Nothing it's just that she never gives up on tantrums that easily. You have a gift Kakashi you will make a great dad. Sakura you married a good man." Kurenai said impressed

Sakura smiled "I know." Kakashi blushed under his mask.

"It's not that big of a deal." He mumbled embarrassed

They had to put all the new outfits and toys in a summoning scroll in order for Kurenai to carry it all. She was flabbergasted at all the new things Rumi had acquired in the span of a week but Sakura was so excited when telling her about finding _great deals _that the older woman just smiled at her. Thanking them once again Kurenai and Rumi headed home.

* * *

Sakura and Kakashi cleaned up after dinner together. It was a quiet affair. While the quiet had never bothered Sakura before, the silence brought on by Rumi's departure was suddenly stifling. Sakura discreetly wiped at a few tears in the corner of her eyes as she washed dishes in the sink. Kakashi pretended not to notice as he dried.

There was an extra bag of uncooked macaroni noodles on the counter. Kakashi moved to put them away in the pantry. Opening the door his attention drifted to the bottom shelf set aside for Rumi. The Fruit Ninja 'O' s, and pop tarts sat alongside chips and other sugary snacks they'd never eat. Kakashi placed the macaroni with the other pastas and shut the door with a firm click.

* * *

Sakura stood in their bathroom at the sink brushing her teeth. The door was open and she could see her husband stretched out on their bed reading icha icha like he normally did. However tonight he was flipping thought the pages Rumi had colored in. She rinsed and put her toothpaste away before reaching into her medicine cabinet. Sakura stared at the booklet of pills, birth control, one for each day of the month. She looked at Kakashi then back at the pills. Their main reasons behind their decision to not have kids was because they didn't feel that they would be good parents and that they could not dedicate the time needed for raising a family. Sakura looked at Kakashi again. Hadn't they just shot both those excuses down within a week? They had proven that they were parent material and they had managed to work around each other's schedules and make time for a little girl as well as each other. Sakura knew that they didn't have any marital problems yet she felt that their relationship had only been strengthened in the past week. They loved each other deeply yet after taking care of Rumi, Sakura realized she loved her husband even more. She wanted a family with him and she knew him well enough to know that he wanted it too. Coming to a decision she put the pills in her make up bag and tossed them under the sink before shutting off the bathroom light.

**A/N: review please**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I do not make any profit from this story whatsoever. **

**A/N: I just want to take a moment to apologies to all of you. I've been looking back at the chapters and I realized that I made a ton of mistakes. These are completely my own and I take full responsibility. I am so sorry. I hope I can catch most of them in this chapter but I'm sure there will be some. Again I apologize. Normally I can catch the misspelling and grammar errors but if I do miss something please tell me. Okay I'm shutting up now.**

* * *

He was in deep thought yet he wasn't caught off guard when a hand fell on his shoulder. He looked up at Shikamaru standing above him.

"She wants to see you." The dark haired man said.

Kakashi nodded and pushed himself up off of the wooden bench and made his way down the aisle and out the side doors into an adjacent hallway. Kakashi made his way to the room at the far end. He came to a halt and knocked. There were muffled voices on the other side but the door cracked open and Sakura ushered him inside before closing it firmly behind him.

The woman stood on a short plat form in front of three panels of mirrors. Her dark hair was a mass of curls that were being pinned up by Ino and Sakura. Hinata was kneeling, making adjustments to the hem of the twenty five year old's long white gown. Kurenai was standing before her adding the last few touches to her makeup. One by one the women stepped back to admire their work, satisfied they left to do some last minute preparations. Kurenai grabbed the woman's hand whispering to her, the two women shared a knowing smile before the older took her leave. The dark haired woman looked into the mirrors in front of her as she appraised her image. Her dark eyes found his reflected in the glass and she turned around with a smile.

"You look beautiful Rumi." Kakashi told her sincerely.

Rumi beamed "You really think so Uncle Kashi?"

"I know so… Shikamaru said you wanted to see me. What's up kiddo?"

The bride to be picked up her dress just high enough to step down from the platform. Kakashi held out his arm to help her down and moved her train for her as she took a seat in a cushioned chair against the wall. He took a seat next to her and waited patiently for her to speak.

"I'm nervous." Rumi said quietly.

"Most are right before the ceremony. But that's not all is it?" The older shinobi asked.

Rumi shook her head confirming what he said.

"Are you getting cold feet? Having second thoughts?" He prompted.

"Not really, but people talk and I know he could do better. I just can't believe he is settling for me. I'm so afraid I'm going to wake up and this is all just going to be a dream." Rumi looked down, her fingers fiddled with the engagement ring on her left hand.

Kakashi scoffed causing the young bride to look up at him thorough dark eyelashes. "He is _not_ settling Rumi. I know for a fact that he loves you. I can't count the many times he has told me how much you mean to him. I've seen the look he gets when he's thinking about you; it is the same one I get when I think of Sakura. You know what he said to me? He said he couldn't imagine life without you. You are his best friend and he wants to spend forever with you. As for all those idiots who talk, they can just go f- um… screw themselves." He finished.

"But I'm older than him" She murmured.

"Is that what this is really about? Rumi four years is nothing compared to mine and Sakura's fourteen."

"I know but…"

"Do you love him?"

"Yes." She said with conviction and without hesitation.

"Well then you know what to say when you're asked if you take him as your lawfully wedded husband."

Rumi smiled and hugged him as tight as her dress would allow, careful not to smear her makeup on his dark suite. Kakashi always knew what to say to make her feel better. He always had the words she needed to hear.

"Thanks Uncle…well I guess_ Dad_ is more appropriate now." She said lightly.

Kakashi laughed. "Yes I suppose it is. Alright kiddo, let's get you to Shikamaru so he can walk you down the aisle. If I know my son he is an excited nervous wreck right now. We better not keep him waiting too long for his bride to be. He'd probably tear this place apart looking for you."

Rumi laughed "Yeah that sounds like something Taiki would do."

* * *

Kakashi held Sakura's hand as she leaned against him while they watched the ceremony. Kakashi smiled as he watched his son and Rumi recite their vows. Taiki couldn't keep his eyes off her, his smile was so big that it put Naruto's megawatt grin to shame. Kakashi heard a sniffle next to him. He fished his white handkerchief out of his pocket and slipped it into Sakura's hand and pulled her tighter against him. As the rings were exchanged, Kakashi realized that he and Sakura had finally gotten the daughter they'd always wanted. Taiki wasted no time in kissing Rumi full on the mouth and the crowd cheered at the newly wed Mr. and Mrs. Hatake.

Kakashi stood and clapped with the rest of the crowd as he looked proudly at his son and new daughter in law. Rumi was _officially_ part of the family now. She was his kid.

* * *

**The End**

**A/N: Review please.**


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